ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — It’s been more than a year since deputies say a young father was murdered in Orange County.
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25-year-old Josh Pearce was found shot to death near an apartment complex along State Road 436 at Summer Wind Drive in October of 2020.
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Pearce’s murder remains unsolved. Now, his family is enlisting the help of a non-profit organization out of Louisiana to help find his killer.
Pearce’s mother Andrea says, more than a year later, she’s still fighting for closure.
“That’s my baby…what happened? Just somebody tell me something,” Pearce said. “I’m empty. Just tell me something. Give me some glimmer of hope.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office hasn’t announced any arrests in the case. Pearce says her son was a father who was expecting another baby.
Loved ones say he worked hard to support his family while going to school at Valencia College.
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His family has partnered with Lafayette, Louisiana-based activists The Village 337 to pass out flyers locally and help drum up leads.
“Why is it that there’s no suspects so far? No serious leads? Any arrests,” The Village 337 Director Devon Norman asked.
Pearce was gunned down shortly after being released from jail.
Court records show he was accused of kicking his pregnant girlfriend in the stomach and resisting a deputy. The state declined to prosecute the case just days before Pearce was murdered.
“None of us are perfect,” Norman said. “None of us deserves to die in this manner.”
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A $10,000 reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest. Andrea Pearce says she won’t stop fighting for answers.
“Somebody knows something,” Pearce said. “I’m Josh’s voice, and I will not be silent.”
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